Frederick Young
Real Name: Frederick L. Young Case: Appeal Date: June 9, 1993 Location: Greensboro, North Carolina Case Details: At around midnight on the night of June 9, 1993, a woman returned to her motel room in Greensboro, North Carolina. As her friend opened the door, two men came from behind her and busted into the room. They pointed their guns at the five occupants and forced them to the floor. The assailants then robbed each of them of cash and jewelry. The robbery was over within minutes. As a result of eyewitness testimony from one of the victims, police arrested two men. One of them was Frederick L. Young, who was convicted of the motel robbery as well as two others that same night. However, Fred claims that he is innocent and that the real robber was his identical twin brother Cedric. Surprisingly, even their own mother supports Fred. The twins were born on December 29, 1971. From the start, it was virtually impossible to tell the twins apart. Their relatives, including their own mother, had trouble telling them apart. Fred remembers that he and his brother shared a very close bond for years. On June 10, 1993, the night after the robbery, Fred was pulled over by police for a busted tail-light on his car. Since he did not have a driver's license, he gave Cedric's name to the officers. Fred did this because he knew that Cedric had a valid driver's license. When the officers ran a check, they found that Cedric's license had been revoked. Meanwhile, the officers asked if they could search the vehicle, Fred agreed, having nothing to hide. The officers found a bag with guns in it and proceeded to arrest him for the robbery. One of the guns was linked to the robbery. At the police station, Fred came clean about giving his brother's name to them. However, it was too late. He was charged with six counts of armed robbery. So was his alleged accomplice, Chris Ross, a friend of the twins. A year later, Fred was put on trial for the robberies. Deborah Haney, one of the motel victims, recognized Fred as one of the assailants. She had seen him several times before, but did not know his name until after the arrest. Fred believes that Deborah had actually recognized Cedric and had gotten them confused. During the trial, Fred asked his attorney to subpoena Chris Ross. However, for unknown reasons, his attorney did not do this. Later, the attorney's license was revoked for various reasons, including neglecting his client's cases. Since the trial, Ross has admitted that he put the shotgun in Fred's car without his knowledge. Ross said that he never came forward because no one had contacted him. Ross plea bargained and received a twenty-year sentence. Fred, insisting that he was innocent, refused to plea bargain. The jury convicted him of six armed robbery counts and sentenced him to sixty-eight years. Fred's new attorney, Walter Johnson, noted that, even if Fred was guilty, the sentence was too high for a robbery conviction. Of course, he believes that Fred was innocent and was the victim of mistaken identity. The police, however, believe that he is guilty. According to them, he never stated that he was innocent or that his brother was actually responsible. A year after the verdict, Fred had another chance: the court of appeals agreed to consider new evidence. Chris Ross took the stand and testified that Cedric committed the robberies with him. Ross's uncorroborated testimony failed to persuade the judge; he was not given a new trial. Frederick and Cedric later appeared on the talk show Geraldo. Cedric was asked, point blank, if he was guilty. However, he denied it. Frederick now sits in jail for that crime, even as Cedric's own friends testify that the wrong twin was arrested. Meanwhile, authorities believe they have the right brother in custody. The mother of the twins believes that Cedric was the one who committed the robbery. Fred hopes that his case can be reopened and solved. He is still serving a sixty-eight year sentence. Extra Notes: The airdate for this segment was September 27, 1996. Some sources spell his first name as "Fredrick". This case has also appeared on the talk show Geraldo, where Fredrick tearfully pleaded with his brother to tell the truth. Cedric showed no remorse until he saw his brother cry. Results: Unresolved. On March 19, 2016, Fredrick was released on parole after spending over twenty-two years in prison. He continues to maintain his innocence. Interestingly, his brother Cedric has been in and out of prison for several years, convicted on several offenses, including larceny, breaking & entering, and child abuse. He is currently in prison as a habitual felon. Links: * Fredrick Young Inmate Release Profile * Cedric Young Inmate Profile * Convicted felon blames twin for robberies * Eye on the court ---- Category:North Carolina Category:1993 Category:Armed Robbery Category:Unresolved Category:Wrongly-Accused Cases